Typically, a prospective calling card subscriber who applies for a calling card has to wait a period of time for the application to be processed by the calling card issuer and subsequently for a calling card to be issued to the subscriber. The delay in processing calling card applications is largely attributable to the need to update the card issuer's billing system to create an account record for the subscriber, the account record being needed to allow telephone calls charged to the card number to be billed to the subscriber. The subscriber's account record contains information that is provided by the subscriber in the course of the calling card application process and that is associated with the calling card number.